This is why it works …

I stink at dieting!! If I try to do any kind of plan, I’m thinking about food all day long!!! I find myself saying that I’ll eat what I want today and I’ll shape up tomorrow.

I’m not counting calories, weighing food or measuring portions. I’m even enjoying an occasional treat. I just find myself constantly thinking “I have to lose two-tenths of a pound today!”

I had no idea how all the little tastes, seconds and thirds at dinner and frequent snacking were adding up!! They have been easy to eliminate. Dinner was a difficult time for me because I come home from work stressed and hungry! I’m allowing myself all the food I want but choosing fresh veggies for seconds instead of extra meat and carbs.

Anyway – to sum it up — this is working because it’s changed the thoughts going through my head — instead of “I’ll start tomorrow”, I’m having to say “I must lose two-tenths of a pound today.” With most things, the battle is in your mind. It’s a battle that is easy to fight because so little needs to be done.

Summary of weight loss progress to date …

Twelve days have passed since I decided to lose two tenths of a pound each day. I’ve lost a total of 3.1 pounds and I’m very, very pleased.

I thought it might help to actually journal what I eat – so here goes!

This has been my birthday weekend and my husband took me to a great little restaurant in the St. Elmo section of Chattanooga called the Blacksmith Bistro. We shared an appetizer (3 crab cakes with a kicked up sauce) and I had a bison steak topped with a fabulous fois gras butter. I also enjoyed a glass of red wine and we shared a slice of white chocolate cheese cake garnished with mint and drizzled with honey. I didn’t think I would like it, but it was amazing! That was Friday night so I was surprised to see that my weight was down the next morning!

Saturday morning: Breakfast was a fried egg and buttered whole wheat toast. George made a great pico (a chunky tomato salsa) that we ate with organic corn chips for lunch. We went to Starbucks around 3 and I ordered a latte subbing soy milk for cow’s milk. Neither one of us was really hungry till late so he made a spinach omelet using two eggs a piece with a good salad on the side. I love eggs and eat one almost every day.

George finished his day by making a white chocolate cheesecake to see if he could duplicate the great dessert we enjoyed the other evening! He took it out of the oven, set it out to cool, garnished it with rosemary sprigs to give it a kick and we went to bed.

I was down a half a pound this morning; breakfast was scrambled eggs, buttered whole wheat toast, fresh cantaloupe and (drum roll please) a tiny slice of the cheesecake he made last night. I tried nibbling a tiny bit of a rosemary sprig and then eating a bite of cheesecake (he drizzled it in honey too.) Wow! The taste is so unexpected and it’s really good!! His was every bit as good as the one we enjoyed at the restaurant.

We’re going back Tuesday night with our kids and I can’t wait!!

I noticed that my belly is already much flatter and my jeans fitted looser this weekend. I haven’t felt like I’ve been dieting at all (I haven’t been dieting … but I have been careful to try to stop mindless snacking. I’ve also made a real effort to make sure I’m eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.)

Call me crazy but I don’t think I’m as “hungry” when I’m eating my veggies!

The plan continues to work …

This graph says it all! I am so stoked!!

The large spike occurred on a night when my husband stopped at Sonic on the way home. I hardly ever eat fast food but when I saw the burgers, I caved – I ate half a Sonic burger – and you can see the results.

Two Tenths

Time has gone by and I haven’t been on my best behavior … I need to lose a few pounds … well more than a few.

I love, love, love food and I love to eat! I’m not getting any younger and it’s getting harder. I tried to drop a few pounds and this time, the pounds didn’t drop.

Like many of you, I wake, use the restroom, strip down to nothing and weigh every single morning. Like many of you, I’m trying to lose a pound or two each week. Like many of you, it isn’t happening!!!

Well that was then and this is now.

I got very concerned and spent some time really praying about it. I believe God has given me the answer; it’s day 7 and it is still working. I realized I could try to lose .2 (two tenths) of a pound in one day. I have a great digital scale and it reports weight in tenths of a pound. On the first day I knew it would be a cinch.. I know how to eat sensibly and so do you. You know exactly what to do to lose two tenths of a pound today. I did those common sense things and was down more than I expected the next morning. I recorded my weight and felt optimistic for a change.

It wasn’t hard and on day 2, I did it again! The next morning I was down a bit more than I expected. I decided from the beginning that if I didn’t go down another two tenths of a pound, I would eat raw veggies for dinner. They would fill and nourish me but help me towards my goal. If it’s cold or if I really need a hot meal for dinner, I’ll make a plain vegetable soup (but not with potatoes.)

It’s night time and I’m finishing day 7. My weight has fluctuated but every day I was down at least two tenths a pound or more from where I started. I’m still using common sense and eating good healthy food. I’m not counting calories but somehow portion control has been a little easier again just using common sense.

I think this is working so far because when I try to lose a pound a week, I keep making excuses each day thinking I’ll get around to it tomorrow. I can’t make excuses for today when I HAVE to lose two tenths of a pound today!

Two tenths of a pound doesn’t sound like much but it’s almost one stick of butter! Two tenths times 7 days is 1.4 pounds a week! That’s a steady weight loss I would love to maintain! It’s over 5 pounds a month and over 70 pounds in a year!!

What do you think? Will this work for the long haul? What thoughts or ideas would you add to this?

Stay tuned and I’ll keep posting my progress!

First Steps Toward Healthier Eating

Someone read my story about getting off meds after changing my diet (and staying off them for the past seven years.) I promised to post about it so here goes…

This information all came from a nutrition class that Dr. Stephen Knox teaches in Dalton, Georgia at least once a year. He does this free of charge and provides free snacks for everyone that he gets from our local Kroger. He says he does this to show people how they can make healthy changes without going to extremes or paying tons of money (he has five kids and I’ve always been impressed by his frugal lifestyle.) He doesn’t try to sign up patients or sell stuff – but he does give a very informative and entertaining lecture. If you are anywhere near driving distance, it’s worth your while to attend!

He gives ten steps and also covers how our bodies digest food and use the nutrients. I’m going to start with what I remember and then come back and edit this post after I find my notes. (My dad is in the hospital and I’m a little short of time.)

1. Chew your food well! Take smaller bites and chew it way more than you would ever think is necessary! He goes on to explain that if our food isn’t chewed into small enough bites, our bodies can’t digest it and assimilate the nutrients.
2. Don’t drink anything with your meals! Stop drinking liquids at least 15 minutes before you eat and don’t drink anything afterwards – wait at least 1/2 hour or an hour. I’m convinced this is the tip that got me off prescription antacids and cured my chronic heartburn. He explains that many Americans chug tons of soda, tea or water as the gulp their food without chewing. You wind up with food being pushed out of the stomach before it’s digested and that causes all kinds of problems. He really gets into it his lecture not just telling you what to do but explaining exactly what is going on in your body in terms that lay people can understand.
3. Stop eating sugar and processed foods!
4. Eat a good breakfast every day!
5. Add plenty of fresh, organic vegetables to your diet!
6. Most people need to eliminate dairy products from their diets!
7. He explains how a baby cow gains ten times their birth weight in its first year by consuming – you guessed it – cow’s milk! He also explains how people in other countries don’t consume cow’s milk and how Americans have the most osteoporosis. (Just as an aside – I’ve been off dairy for 7+ years and my bone density tests have all been normal.)

8. Add high quality fish oil to your diet by purchasing gel caps and making sure the country of origin is from Northern Europe.
9. Try to avoid pork. Try to buy chicken that is antibiotic-free and hormone-free. Consider eliminating beef or least cut way back. If you do eat beef, make sure it’s also antibiotic-free and hormone-free.

There is more to add and I will as soon as Dad’s a little better and I find my notes!

A year without sugar?

Sandy is going a year without sugar. I’m not trying to steal her thunder, so I’ll let her blog about it. But I’m going to try it too. I wonder if I’ll make it three days? (I am not supposed to eat any sugar at all!) Anyone else? If you take this challenge, consider blogging about it and link back to her.

She started on January 1 – I’m starting NOW!

A New Productivity Tool (Part II)

One of the best new blogs I have recently discovered is Study Hacks. I graduated almost 20 years ago but I could read that blog for hours!! A gem I found on this site is Plan.txt The Productivity Tool You Haven’t Heard Of.

when it comes to planning out what we do each day, my experience is that there’s no magic system that applies to every situation. The realities of our daily lives change too much to be handled by any set rule.

I took that quote right from Cal’s post – it knocked me out! I thought I was a lazy, undisciplined bum but maybe there is a real reason why rigid planning systems never seemed to work for me for very long!

I love what he had done here and especially like his little notations with brackets (what is it about finding just the right notation – it shouldn’t make such a difference – but it does.) It’s a freeform to do list which stored on my USB drive (and this does manage to stay with me) serves me reasonably well.

I started to play with this idea but still missed Tsh’s format (see Part I or check out downloads from Simple Mom’s blog.

I remembered one other idea and finally had my answer! I’ll write about it soon in the last post (Part III).

Just for today …

I’ll post again about productivity tools soon (thanks for the encouragement Joy!)

I’ve let myself ease up on eating sweets over the holidays and I’m paying the price! I’m fighting a sinus infection, my head hurts, my body is bloated and I’ve gained a few pounds.

I thought I’d share my two favorite weight-loss hacks because I’m going to have to put it in gear – NOW!

First – when tempted, I tell myself, “I’m going to eat right, just for today.” The mantra that is always going through my head is “just for today!” I don’t think I could face a lifetime without a cookie but I can do it “just for today!”

This was a huge improvement for me over “just this once, cause I’m starting a new diet tomorrow.” It was stuck in my head and tomorrow never comes.

Second – consider making your goal (ideal weight, desired waist measurement, BMI, ideal % body fat, whatever) your password. You’ll find yourself reviewing your goal every time you log in.

Now where is that salad?

A New Productivy Tool (Part I)

If you are like me, you have a lot going on! Between my day job, kids, working on a business and having some kind of a life, sometimes my head just spins!! I waste more time figuring out what to do and the energy of keeping up with it all drains me.

I know many of you are thinking I should read “Getting Things Done!” Well I have, and honestly, I haven’t found that trusted system. The theory is fantastic but implementing it is another thing. One of the biggest obstacles I face (and from talking to other working professionals, I’m not the only one) is that we have a time management system at work. It’s not readily accessible from home and I don’t want to commit to keeping it synched with my home and personal business systems (we have to use Lotus Notes at work.)

So how does this help you?

I have read three new ideas recently and I realized I could integrate them into one small, no-cost system.

First the fabulous Tsh from SimpleMom.net has a download on her blog called the “Daily Docket.” It is the best one page per day to-do/calendar I’ve ever seen. It has everything I need (her pdf document has two variations – you will probably love one of them.) It’s attractive and functional. Did I tell you how much I love the format she designed? Two sections I particular love include a place to jot the scripture I’m focusing on and a place for what she calls “MIT’s” – Most Important Things. Both keep me grounded and focused.

My only problem is that I’m going all over the place and the sheet of paper often gets forgotten. I have project notebooks for the Java system we are designing at work. I have my own day planner that’s the wrong size for Tsh’s docket. It’s just become a glorified mileage log anyway so I can get reimbursed for my travel. I have my work laptop case, my personal laptop case. I have a large notebook for technical reference and the systems I maintain. My car looks like a war zone. I long for her format and I miss the cute pages strewn over my desk. I printed them and put them in a notebook. But I could not deal with
one
more
notebook.

It was the springboard to my answer! I’ll blog about it more next time!

Some encouraging thoughts for those getting a later financial start…

You’ve seen those charts haven’t you?

On-the-go Gary started investing $200 a month as a teen. He deposits this money every month and stops before he is 30.

Slacker Sam starts saving right after college and deposits the same amount each month until he’s 65.

Both assume the same interest rate and Gary ends up with more money. Way more money!

It’s really depressing unless you are in the .2% of the population who a.) had $200 a month to invest from the age of 13 and b.) actually invested it!

My husband and I are getting our financial acts together thanks to Dave Ramsey. We have worked hard following Dave’s “Total Money Makeover” making more progress in the last 18 months than we made in the previous 20 years of our marriage. Dave Ramsey seriously ROCKS!

During this time, we focused on goals and some other things are starting to come together in our lives. We realized that the type of investing I described above is not the only way to financial freedom. Don’t get me wrong – we both invest in our 401Ks and don’t intend to stop. We are not going to progress as quickly as our friend Gary however.

But that’s NOT the only way!!! Don’t let these examples rob you of your inspiration and motivation! Don’t let them depress you! There are so many possibilities around us. Many people in mid-life write their first book, inherit money, start a business, learn to make money on the Internet, etc. On top of that, we are now wiser and more disciplined. We will actually make good use of these opportunities.

Just as an example – My husband helped tonight with some tasks for a business we have on the side. He researched how to buy some software we needed. I had checked briefly and remembered it cost just under $900. George took the time to ask me exactly what version I needed and did some extra research. He learned that the version I could accept was now freeware and available to download at no cost. We had no idea!! That’s an extra $900 for our dreams.

Take that Gary!